Tag Archive | "eugene monroe"

With the Ravens receiving three compensatory picks in this year’s draft, the discussion inevitably turns to the list of players they’ve selected with those picks awarded by the NFL.

From Rick Wagner and Pernell McPhee in recent years to the likes of Edwin Mulitalo, Sam Koch, and Le’Ron McClain in the past, there’s no disputing that the Ravens have benefited from a league-high 44 compensatory picks in their 20-year history. But with 10 selections at his disposal for the draft set to begin on April 30, general manager Ozzie Newsome may have something else up his sleeve rather than simply selecting 10 young football players.

With obvious needs at wide receiver, tight end, and cornerback, Baltimore should follow its recent trend of dealing a draft pick or two for an established veteran contributor. The likelihood of being able to address all of their needs with young talent ready to contribute immediately isn’t great, but the Ravens now have plenty of collateral to work out a trade while remaining very active in the draft.

Last year, the Ravens dealt their 2015 fifth-round pick to Tampa Bay in exchange for starting center Jeremy Zuttah. Two years ago, they acquired starting left tackle Eugene Monroe from Jacksonville in exchange for 2014 fourth-round and fifth-round choices.

It isn’t a coincidence that the Ravens made those deals before ultimately landing compensatory selections in the same round of each of the surrendered picks. You cannot trade compensatory choices, but they allow you to continue to add young talent while enjoying the flexibility to trade regular selections to add veteran help or to move up the draft board when necessary.

And with a long list of departing free agents this offseason, the Ravens are once again looking like a good bet to receive three or four compensatory picks next year, further facilitating the potential for a trade.

No one would doubt Newsome’s ability to come away with a productive haul if he keeps his allotment of draft picks, but the Ravens would be wise to pull the trigger on a trade for the right veteran addition with so many clear needs that have yet to be addressed this offseason.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh made it clear Tuesday there is no controversy at left tackle going into the offseason.

A few eyebrows raised when starting left tackle Eugene Monroe was deemed active for Saturday’s game in New England before rookie free agent James Hurst remained the starter against the Patriots, but Harbaugh said the decision was based solely on Monroe’s health. After injuring his ankle in the fourth quarter of the Week 16 loss in Houston, Monroe did not play in the regular-season finale or the Pittsburgh game and was limited to just five special-teams snaps against New England.

Monroe was a limited participant in practices last week leading into the trip to Foxborough.

“Eugene wasn’t 100 percent, but we felt like he was enough to be a good backup for us,” Harbaugh said. “If we lost one of the tackles, we’d probably rather be able to put Eugene in there at less than 100 percent than have to shuffle the offensive line around again. And credit to him for getting himself back into that kind of a position. But as far as playing the left tackle spot the whole game, where [Monroe] was at, James was the better option.”

If Monroe had remained inactive against the Patriots and the Ravens would have lost either Hurst or Marshal Yanda, who was already filling in for the injured Rick Wagner at right tackle, they would have been forced to move left guard Kelechi Osemele out to tackle and insert Ryan Jensen into the game. Instead, the Ravens deemed a banged-up Monroe as a better option to activate than Jensen, who was only promoted to the 53-man roster at the end of the regular season.

Needless to say, it was a disappointing year for Monroe after he signed a five-year, $37.5 million contract last offseason. He missed four games after undergoing knee surgery in late September and never appeared healthy enough to play at the level he did last season when he was acquired from the Jacksonville Jaguars. The ankle injury against the Texans all but ended his season, opening the door for Hurst to become the first player in NFL history to start a playoff game at left tackle as an undrafted rookie.

Counting the postseason, the Ravens went 5-2 in games Hurst started at left tackle, leaving some to wonder if the rookie’s performance was good enough to supplant Monroe as the starter. When carefully watching Hurst’s play, it would be more accurate to describe Baltimore as surviving with him at left tackle.

Harbaugh made it clear how he views the depth chart heading into next season.

“Eugene is our starter going forward,” Harbaugh said. “We’re happy to have that be the case.”

Of all offensive tackles who participated in at least 25 percent of his team’s snaps in the regular season, Hurst finished 79th out of 84 and had minus-16.9 pass blocking and minus-9.0 run blocking grades, according to Pro Football Focus’s cumulative assessments. Monroe ranked 63rd out of 84, but his minus-1.0 pass blocking grade and minus-10.7 run blocking grade reflects how much he struggled moving laterally in Gary Kubiak’s zone-blocking system while not having quite as many issues as a pass blocker. That could certainly be explained by the knee issues he experienced early in the year and then coming back from surgery in the middle of the season.

Monroe will be on notice to bounce back dramatically — especially carrying a $7.7 million cap figure in 2015 — but he also has a track record suggesting he’ll be better with an offseason to once again get healthy.

Even if his performance wasn’t strong enough to seriously make Monroe look over his shoulder, Hurst did establish himself as a solid backup for an offensive line that took major strides in 2014.

“Those experiences I’m going to carry with me and use them to my advantage just to make myself a better football player,” said Hurst of the seven starts he made in his first NFL season. “It’s a huge offseason after your rookie year. You know really what you need to work on to be a better pro.”

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — January in Foxborough is a familiar scene for the Ravens as they meet the New England Patriots in the AFC divisional round on Saturday afternoon.

Head coach John Harbaugh and the Ravens are playing for the right to go to their fourth conference championship game in the last seven years, and they’ll have their starting left tackle available for the first time since Week 16 as Eugene Monroe is active. An ankle injury still limited Monroe in practices this week, so it will be interesting to see how he fares in his first live-game action since Dec. 21.

According to their depth chart, Monroe’s return would push rookie free agent James Hurst to right tackle and four-time Pro Bowl selection Marshal Yanda back to normal right guard spot. Rookie John Urschel had been filling in at right guard with Yanda moving outside the last two weeks.

(Update 4:05 p.m. — Based on pre-game warmups, it appears that Monroe will serve as the emergency backup tackle for Saturday’s game with Hurst remaining at left tackle.)

As expected, rookie defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan (foot/ankle) is active after being listed as probable to play and practicing fully all week. He will move back into the defensive line rotation as a substitute behind five-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, who returned from a four-game suspension at the start of the postseason.

With Monroe and Jernigan both active after missing the Pittsburgh game, offensive lineman Ryan Jensen and defensive lineman DeAngelo Tyson were deactivated for Saturday’s game.

The Patriots listed running backs Jonas Gray and James White as inactive, which is interesting considering how much head coach Bill Belichick has liked to use a committee approach in his backfield this season. Of course, New England could struggle finding room against the NFL’s fourth-ranked run defense, regardless of who is receiving the carries.

The Ravens will be playing the Patriots for the fourth time in their playoff history as they have won two of the previous three postseason games played at Gillette Stadium. Baltimore is 1-7 against New England in the all-time regular-season history that’s been overshadowed by four postseason meetings in the last six seasons.

The forecast calls for temperatures dipping below 20 degrees as the game progresses with winds up to 10 miles per hour.

The referee for Saturday’s wild-card game will be Bill Vinovich.

The Ravens will be wearing white jerseys with black pants for Saturday’s game while New England dons its navy blue tops with silver pants.

The Ravens will hope to get an important piece of their offensive line back as left tackle Eugene Monroe was officially designated as questionable for Saturday’s divisional playoff game in New England.

Monroe practiced on a limited basis all week in his first on-field activity since injuring his ankle in the Week 16 loss at Houston. Rookie free agent James Hurst has filled in for Monroe in each of the last two games, leaving the Ravens without either starting tackle after Rick Wagner was lost for the season in late December.

Should Monroe be able to play, the Ravens will be faced with an interesting decision of whether to shift Hurst to the right tackle spot — allowing Marshal Yanda to return to his normal right guard position — or to stay with the current alignment on the right side of rookie John Urschel at right guard and Yanda playing right tackle.

Rookie defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan (foot/ankle) was listed as probable to play against the Patriots after participating fully in practices all week. The 2014 second-round pick missed last week’s wild-card game in Pittsburgh after injury his left foot in the regular-season finale.

After enjoying their bye week, the Patriots are in excellent health after listing four players as probable for Saturday’s game.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — There were no significant changes to Thursday’s injury report as the Ravens completed their final full practice of the week in preparation for their divisional-round meeting with the New England Patriots.

Starting left tackle Eugene Monroe (ankle) remained a limited participant as he hopes to make his return to action for the first time since Dec. 21. Head coach John Harbaugh acknowledged Monroe is “progressing well” but wouldn’t elaborate beyond that when asked by reporters.

Rookie Timmy Jernigan (foot/ankle) was a full participant for the second straight day and appears on track to be back in the defensive line rotation after missing last week’s playoff win in Pittsburgh.

Veteran linebacker Terrell Suggs received a day off from the final practice of the week as he regularly has late in the season.

Meanwhile, the Patriots removed running back LeGarrette Blount (illness) from their injury report a day after he was listed as a limited participant.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Optimism continues to grow for the availability of Eugene Monroe and Timmy Jernigan as the Ravens continue preparations for Saturday’s divisional playoff game against the New England Patriots.

The pair practiced for a second straight day Wednesday with Monroe being listed as a limited participant and Jernigan full participating in the workout. The starting left tackle spent time working individually with offensive line coach Juan Castillo during the portion of practice open to reporters.

Monroe told reporters after Wednesday’s practice that he was “very optimistic” about his chances of returning to action for the first time since injuring his ankle in the Week 16 loss at Houston. Rookie free agent James Hurst has been filling in at left tackle while Pro Bowl guard Marshal Yanda has moved to right tackle and rookie John Urschel has handled the right guard position.

Jernigan injured his left foot in the regular-season finale against Cleveland and missed last Saturday’s playoff game in Pittsburgh. With veteran defensive tackle Haloti Ngata back in the starting lineup, the rookie Jernigan would return to a reserve role in trying to put interior heat on Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

“I feel like I can get back into the rotation, but at the end of the day, that’s the coach’s decision,” said Jernigan, who added he was feeling really good after returning to practice Tuesday. “All I can control is me and the way that I prepare.”

Tight end Owen Daniels and linebacker Daryl Smith both received the day off on Wednesday as they often do for the second practice day of a week

Wide receiver Marlon Brown was back at practice on Wednesday and not listed on the first injury report of the week after he wasn’t present during the open portion of Tuesday’s workout.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — As expected, the Ravens saw the return of two key cogs to their offensive and defensive lines as Eugene Monroe and Timmy Jernigan took part in the first practice of the week ahead of Saturday’s divisional round meeting with New England.

Head coach John Harbaugh said Monday he expected both players to return from injuries that kept them out of last Saturday’s wild-card win in Pittsburgh. Monroe (ankle) did not appear to be doing much during the portion of practice open to reporters while Jernigan (foot) and the defensive line only observed and stretched during the special-teams part of practice.

Monroe hasn’t played in a game since Week 16 as rookie free agent James Hurst has filled in at left tackle. The Ravens will evaluate how he progresses over the course of the week before making a decision on his availability against the Patriots.

With veteran defensive tackle Haloti Ngata back from suspension, Jernigan’s presence isn’t as critical, but his return would give the Baltimore defense another dangerous interior rusher to harass Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in the pocket.

Wide receiver Marlon Brown was the only player on the 53-man roster not present for Tuesday’s practice. The second-year wideout did not appear to suffer a significant injury in Pittsburgh in the process of catching one pass for nine yards in 13 offensive snaps.

With a couple inches of snow falling in Owings Mills Tuesday, the Ravens practiced on the turf field inside their field house.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens have revealed good news on the health front ahead of Saturday’s divisional round playoff game with New England.

Not only did Baltimore appear to come out of the 30-17 wild-card win over Pittsburgh without any substantial injuries, but left tackle Eugene Monroe and defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan are expected to return to practices this week. Monroe has missed the last two games since injuring his ankle in Houston while Jernigan hurt his left foot in the regular-season finale and did not play against the Steelers.

“It looks like they will take the practice field tomorrow,” head coach John Harbaugh said Monday. “We’ll see how those guys do, and we’ll have injury reports as we go through the week.”

Monroe’s return could create an interesting decision for the Ravens after they’ve used rookie free agent James Hurst at left tackle while sliding Pro Bowl guard Marshal Yanda out to right tackle with rookie John Urschel filling in at right guard. Hurst was considered the primary backup to Rick Wagner before the starting right tackle went on injured reserve late last month, but Yanda has filled in admirably at right tackle and Hurst is a more natural fit on the left side, making you wonder if the Ravens might continue using Yanda and Urschel on the right side with Monroe returning to his left tackle spot.

Of course, the presence of five-time Pro Bowl nose tackle Vince Wilfork on the New England defensive line could make Yanda’s return to the right guard position a preferable scenario.

Jernigan filled in admirably in place of the suspended Haloti Ngata for four games, but the latter’s return to action for the playoffs means the rookie will return to a part-time role, which would certainly boost an already-deep group of defensive linemen.

PITTSBURGH — One of the best rivalries in the NFL is renewed Saturday night as the Ravens meet the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Wild Card round.

After much discussion about the weather being a major factor in these teams’ first postseason meeting since the 2010 season, heavy rain subsided a few hours prior to kickoff and the updated Weather.com forecast calls for only a small chance of precipitation throughout the night with temperatures in the mid-40s and winds up to 12 miles per hour. The improved conditions likely aren’t good news for the Ravens as they had hoped heavy rain would hinder a Pittsburgh passing attack that ranked second in the NFL during the regular season.

The condition of the playing surface itself will remain a question, however, as the natural grass at Heinz Field typically doesn’t hold up late in the season. Tarps were covering the length of the field until they were removed a little less than three hours before kickoff.

Of course, the Steelers will be without Pro Bowl running back Le’Veon Bell, who was officially ruled out Friday with a hyperextended knee suffered against Cincinnati in Week 17. Not only will Pittsburgh be without the league’s second-leading rusher, but Bell’s ability as a receiver and in pass protection will be missed against a relentless Baltimore pass rush.

On the flip side, the Ravens are hurting on the offensive line with Eugene Monroe (ankle) out and starting right tackle Rick Wagner (foot) already on injured reserve. Rookie free agent James Hurst will face the difficult task of handling the left tackle position and trying to slow veteran rush specialist James Harrison. Fellow rookie John Urschel will start at right guard with four-time Pro Bowl selection Marshal Yanda shifting to right tackle.

There were no real surprises on the inactives list for Baltimore as defensive end Chris Canty (ankle/thigh) will start after missing the regular-season finale while rookie wide receiver Michael Campanaro is active for the second straight week. Second-year linebacker Arthur Brown was placed on injured reserve Friday with a hamstring injury.

Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor (shoulder/forearm) is inactive despite being listed as probable and participating fully in practices all week, but Pittsburgh safety Troy Polamalu (knee) is active after missing the final two games of the regular season.

The return of five-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Haloti Ngata will provide a major boost to the league’s fourth-ranked run defense as the Steelers figure to use a committee approach of rookies Josh Harris and Dri Archer as well as newly-signed veteran Ben Tate. Rookie defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan was ruled out on Friday after suffering a foot injury in the regular-season finale.

Head coach John Harbaugh and the Ravens will have some extra support at Heinz Field as his younger brother Jim will be in attendance after accepting the head job at the University of Michigan earlier this week.

The Ravens will be playing Pittsburgh for the fourth time in their playoff history as they have dropped all three of the previous postseason games played at Heinz Field. Baltimore is 17-21 against the Steelers in the all-time regular-season history and owns a 7-12 regular-season record in Pittsburgh. In the Harbaugh era, 11 of the 15 games — including the postseason — played between these teams have been decided by one score.

The referee for Sunday night’s wild-card game will be Clete Blakeman.

The Ravens will be wearing white jerseys with black pants for Saturday night’s game while Pittsburgh dons its black tops with yellow pants.

Regarded by many as the best rivalry in the NFL, the Ravens and Steelers meet for the third time this season and the fourth time ever in the postseason at Heinz Field on Saturday night. Baltimore and Pittsburgh split a pair of 20-point finals during the regular season with each team winning on its home field.

The weather figures to be a significant storyline as the forecast continues to call for a 90 to 100 percent chance of rain with temperatures in the mid-40s and winds that could reach 20 miles per hour.

Both teams will be dealing with significant injuries as the Steelers will be without Pro Bowl running back Le’Veon Bell while the Ravens are missing left tackle Eugene Monroe for the second straight game, meaning rookie free agent James Hurst will start in his place. Pittsburgh will rely on rookies Josh Harris and Dri Archer as well as newly-signed veteran Ben Tate to pick up the slack in Bell’s absence.

In more positive news, the Ravens will welcome back five-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Haloti Ngata from suspension, which will more than offset the loss of rookie Timmy Jernigan (foot) in Week 17.

Of course, both team will lean heavily on Super Bowl winning quarterbacks to lead the way as Joe Flacco and Ben Roethlisberger both know what it takes to make a meaningful run in January. Roethlisberger owns a 10-4 postseason record while Flacco owns a 9-4 mark in the playoffs.

It’s time to go on the record as the Ravens and Steelers meet for the fourth time in postseason history with Pittsburgh holding a 3-0 mark with all previous playoff games being played at Heinz Field. Pittsburgh also leads the all-time regular-season series 21-17, but 13 of the 16 games — including the postseason — played between the Ravens and Steelers in the John Harbaugh era have been decided by one possession.

Here’s what to expect as the Ravens try to beat Pittsburgh for the first time ever in the postseason …

1. Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil will each collect a sack, but a sloppy field will neutralize some of their ability to wreak havoc. Bell’s absence will put plenty of attention on the Pittsburgh passing game, which will have the Ravens’ rush licking its chops over the possibility of being able to tee off on Roethlisberger. However, the Steelers offensive line is much better than it’s been in several years and the wet surface at Heinz Field will slow the rush for both teams. Suggs and Dumervil often try to jump snap counts to utilize their speed off the edge, but hard counts and a chewed-up field will make things easier for tackles Kelvin Beachum and Marcus Gilbert.

2. With the Ravens focused on slowing Pittsburgh receiver Antonio Brown, rookie Martavis Bryant will beat Rashaan Melvin for a long touchdown. Defensive coordinator Dean Pees knows Brown is the Steelers’ most dangerous weapon, which will make it even more important to focus on him in coverage with Bell unavailable. The Ravens will shade safety help to where Brown lines up as much as possible, but that could leave Melvin matched up against the 6-foot-4 Bryant. Melvin has played well since being thrown into the mix last month, but this will be his first NFL game against an elite quarterback and he’ll bite on a double move by Bryant for a score.

3. Justin Forsett will be the only running back from either team to find modest success on Saturday night with 70 yards and a touchdown. Considering few have run with any success against the Ravens this season, the Steelers won’t be able to do much without Bell, who will also be missed as a receiver and in pass protection. However, Baltimore has struggled to run consistently in recent weeks and will face the league’s sixth-ranked run defense. The Ravens will run wide and use counters to get the Steelers’ front seven moving laterally — something they also want to do with play-action plays to neutralize the pass rush — and Forsett will do enough to keep the Pittsburgh defense on its toes with the rain falling.

4. Both Flacco and Roethlisberger will throw more than 35 times despite a forecast conducive to running the ball. In the old days of this rivalry, Saturday’s forecast would have meant both sides grinding it out with the rushing attack, but the run defenses are too stout and the secondaries too vulnerable for the game not to be put in the hands of these franchise quarterbacks. The Ravens will mix in more runs than the Steelers, but Roethlisberger has better weapons to throw to in the passing game. As Harbaugh pointed out earlier in the week, both Flacco and Roethlisberger are used to playing in poor weather and the rain won’t prevent them from making some plays through the air.

5. The weather will contribute to another low-scoring tight one, but the Steelers will find a way to prevail in a 20-17 final. The loss of Bell is a major blow to Pittsburgh and could be enough to tip the scale in Baltimore’s favor, but the Ravens haven’t risen to the occasion against good teams, sporting only one win all season against a team that finished with a winning record. Many are pointing to 2012 as enough reason for the Ravens to be able to make a run, but even in the midst of losing four of their last five to close that regular season, there was the Week 16 demolition of the New York Giants that flashed what the offense would be able to do in the postseason. Despite a strong fourth quarter to beat Cleveland in Week 17, the Ravens have failed to inspire on offense for almost a month now, making it too difficult to believe the unit suddenly clicks in January with a banged-up offensive line. And after an admirable run against pedestrian passing games in December, a patchwork secondary isn’t going to hold up as well against the NFL’s second-ranked passing attack. Harbaugh’s group will give a one-dimensional Pittsburgh offense everything it can handle, but Roethlisberger has played the best football of his career this season and will do just enough at home to get by the Ravens yet again in the postseason.